Intergenerational practice in sheltered housing celebrated

Sheltered housing was shown off at its best at Age2Age, a housing and multi-generational practice seminar, organised by HACT and the Beth Johnson Foundation (BJF).

ERoSH member and sheltered housing consultant Jill Hasler writes about her experience at the event on January 28th, which was a day full of inspiring stories.

HACT's Age2Age project aims to promote neighbourhood confidence and understanding between generations through initiatives which bring older and younger people together, and by developing Homeshare arrangements.
There were interesting examples of intergenerational practice (IGP) given at the event. Midland Heart gave a lively account of its IGP which certainly seemed to be mainstreamed within the association. Two key points from this were to build a direct link to your board and to take an IGP approach to developing new schemes.

Sound practical advice emerged in the descriptions of their IGP by Karim Housing Association with Magic Me and Copeland Homes, as well as further heart warming examples. These projects had been developed through neighbourhood partnerships.

Some of the key findings from the event included:

• The importance of evaluation of all projects to share learning and ideas

• HACT and BJF are working together to develop an intergenerational practice online network, which would be a useful tool for staff trying to get such projects off the ground

• The need to make intergenerational work sustainable beyond a one-off project

• Partnership working is key and unusually there were funders there too wanting to cough up! Lloyds TSB, the Rayne Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation were all quick to point out their support for IGP. There is a huge potential to fund this popular approach if staff can be facilitated to tap into it.

HACT produced full notes of the day but here is a summary:

• Highlights the dangers of a stratified society where people are weary about ‘getting involved'

• Need to consider how we work across cultural differences

• Need to do the right thing and make communities better

• How are we delivering intergenerational work - scheme based or neighbourhood based?

• Important to support the development and use of the proposed Intergenerational Practice Online Network; currently being taken forward by HACT and BJF

• Important to ‘badge' what we are doing

• Importance of sharing experience and spending time with people actively involved, sharing experience.